4th Regiment South Carolina Cavalry
Encyclopedia
The 4th South Carolina Cavalry Regiment was a regiment
of cavalry
in the Confederate States Army
during the American Civil War
. They were from the state of South Carolina
and served primarily in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War
. The 4th South Carolina Cavalry Regiment was organized on December 16, 1862, by consolidating the 10th Battalion South Carolina Cavalry and the 12th Battalion South Carolina Cavalry. The 10th Cavalry Battalion (also called the 3rd Battalion) was organized in the spring of 1862 with five companies, and Major James P. Adams and Major William Stokes were the commanding officers. The 12th Cavalry Battalion had also been known as the 4th Cavalry Battalion.
. The 1st Military District was in the Department of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, under the command of General P. G. T. Beauregard
. The 4th SC Cavalry served here from December 1862 until it was transferred to the Army of Northern Virginia
in March 1864.
With 1,350 officers and men, the regiment was attached to the brigade known as Butler's Brigade under the command of Brigadier General Matthew Butler
, which served under Major General Hampton's
Division of cavalry, in the Cavalry Corps, Army of Northern Virginia
.
In January 1865 the 4th SC Cavalry and all of Hampton's Division were detached from the Army of Northern Virginia and transferred south, by railroad, to the Department of Tennessee and Georgia, commanded by Lieutenant General William J. Hardee
, and was under the Cavalry Command of Lieutenant General Hampton. Following the fall of Columbia, South Carolina
, the unit, along with the entire Cavalry Command were transferred to the Army of Tennessee
under General Joseph E. Johnston
, where they fought final actions in the Campaign of the Carolinas through the spring of 1865, surrendering with the Army of the Tennessee with less than 200 men.
CORRECTION TO PRECEDING. Per the book Saddle Soldiers, the Correspondence of General William Stokes (Commander of the 4th) by Lloyd Halliburton the 4th SC Cavalry did not surrender. The General's own words were "not wishing the formality of surrender, I marched the regiment to Ashbury, NC on 26 April 1865, where I disbanded the unit and sent them home." On the morning of 27 April General Stokes awoke to find the teamsters had disappeared with the mule team of the headquarters wagon. He then ordered the wagon burned rather than allow it to fall into enemy hands. With that, most of the history of the 4th SC Cavalry disappeared.
Most of the companies in this regiment existed previously as South Carolina Militia companies. Some, such as the Charleston Light Dragoons, traced their history to the early-to-mid 18th century, and are mentioned as guarding Fort Sumter in the summer of 1860. The companies in the regiment were:
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
of cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
in the Confederate States Army
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. They were from the state of South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
and served primarily in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War
Eastern Theater of the American Civil War
The Eastern Theater of the American Civil War included the states of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia, and the coastal fortifications and seaports of North Carolina...
. The 4th South Carolina Cavalry Regiment was organized on December 16, 1862, by consolidating the 10th Battalion South Carolina Cavalry and the 12th Battalion South Carolina Cavalry. The 10th Cavalry Battalion (also called the 3rd Battalion) was organized in the spring of 1862 with five companies, and Major James P. Adams and Major William Stokes were the commanding officers. The 12th Cavalry Battalion had also been known as the 4th Cavalry Battalion.
Organization and history
When it was first formed, the 4th South Carolina Cavalry Regiment was commanded by Colonel B. Huger Rutledge and served in the 1st Military District of South Carolina, commanded by Brigadier General Roswell S. RipleyRoswell S. Ripley
Roswell Sabine Ripley was an officer in the United States Army during the Mexican-American War and, despite being Northern-born, a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the Civil War...
. The 1st Military District was in the Department of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, under the command of General P. G. T. Beauregard
P. G. T. Beauregard
Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard was a Louisiana-born American military officer, politician, inventor, writer, civil servant, and the first prominent general of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Today he is commonly referred to as P. G. T. Beauregard, but he rarely used...
. The 4th SC Cavalry served here from December 1862 until it was transferred to the Army of Northern Virginia
Army of Northern Virginia
The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War, as well as the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most often arrayed against the Union Army of the Potomac...
in March 1864.
With 1,350 officers and men, the regiment was attached to the brigade known as Butler's Brigade under the command of Brigadier General Matthew Butler
Matthew Butler
Matthew Calbraith Butler was an American military commander and politician from South Carolina. He served as a major general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War, postbellum three-term United States Senator, and a major general in the United States Army during the...
, which served under Major General Hampton's
Wade Hampton III
Wade Hampton III was a Confederate cavalry leader during the American Civil War and afterward a politician from South Carolina, serving as its 77th Governor and as a U.S...
Division of cavalry, in the Cavalry Corps, Army of Northern Virginia
Cavalry Corps, Army of Northern Virginia
The Cavalry Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia was the only organized cavalry corps in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. Prior to the establishment of a formal corps, cavalry organization in the Confederacy consisted mostly of partisan ranger units and some battalions, a few...
.
In January 1865 the 4th SC Cavalry and all of Hampton's Division were detached from the Army of Northern Virginia and transferred south, by railroad, to the Department of Tennessee and Georgia, commanded by Lieutenant General William J. Hardee
William J. Hardee
William Joseph Hardee was a career U.S. Army officer, serving during the Second Seminole War and fighting in the Mexican-American War...
, and was under the Cavalry Command of Lieutenant General Hampton. Following the fall of Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
, the unit, along with the entire Cavalry Command were transferred to the Army of Tennessee
Army of Tennessee
The Army of Tennessee was the principal Confederate army operating between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River during the American Civil War. It was formed in late 1862 and fought until the end of the war in 1865, participating in most of the significant battles in the Western Theater...
under General Joseph E. Johnston
Joseph E. Johnston
Joseph Eggleston Johnston was a career U.S. Army officer, serving with distinction in the Mexican-American War and Seminole Wars, and was also one of the most senior general officers in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War...
, where they fought final actions in the Campaign of the Carolinas through the spring of 1865, surrendering with the Army of the Tennessee with less than 200 men.
CORRECTION TO PRECEDING. Per the book Saddle Soldiers, the Correspondence of General William Stokes (Commander of the 4th) by Lloyd Halliburton the 4th SC Cavalry did not surrender. The General's own words were "not wishing the formality of surrender, I marched the regiment to Ashbury, NC on 26 April 1865, where I disbanded the unit and sent them home." On the morning of 27 April General Stokes awoke to find the teamsters had disappeared with the mule team of the headquarters wagon. He then ordered the wagon burned rather than allow it to fall into enemy hands. With that, most of the history of the 4th SC Cavalry disappeared.
Officers and units
The commanding and staff officers of the regiment were:- Colonel B. Huger Rutledge
- Major, Lieutenant Colonel and then Colonel William Stokes
- Major, then Lieutenant Colonel W. P. Emanuel
- Major G. E. Manigault
- Major J. M. Gregorie
- Adjutant J. R. Massey
- Chaplain William Banks
- Quartermaster J. W. McCurry
- Assistant Surgeon C. E. Dupont
- Assistant Surgeon C. M. Rivers
- Sergeant Major G. M. Yancey
Most of the companies in this regiment existed previously as South Carolina Militia companies. Some, such as the Charleston Light Dragoons, traced their history to the early-to-mid 18th century, and are mentioned as guarding Fort Sumter in the summer of 1860. The companies in the regiment were:
- Company A - Chesterfield County
- Company B - Chesterfield and Fairfield Counties
- Company C - Oconee, Pickens and Anderson Counties
- Company D - Santee Mounted Riflemen - Georgetown County
- Company E - Marlboro County
- Company F - E. M. Dragoons - Marion County
- Company G - Orangeburg and Colleton Counties
- Company H - Catawba Rangers - Lancaster County
- Company I - Williamsburg Light Dragoons - Williamsburg County
- Company K - Charleston Light Dragoons - Charleston County
Notable battles
The battle history of the regiment:- Black River (Aug 13, 1862)
- Destruction of the George Washington near Beaufort, South Carolina (Apr 9, 1863)
- Raid at Combahee FerryRaid at Combahee FerryThe Raid at Combahee Ferry was a military operation during the American Civil War; it was conducted on June 1 and June 2, 1863, by elements of the Union Army along the Combahee River in Beaufort and Colleton counties in southeast South Carolina.-Background:...
(Jun 2, 1863) - Expedition from Fort Pulaski, Georgia to Bluffton, South Carolina (Jun 4, 1863)
- Lownde's Mill, Combahee River (Sep 13-14, 1863)
- Cunningham's Bluff (Nov 24, 1863)
- Battle of the WildernessBattle of the WildernessThe Battle of the Wilderness, fought May 5–7, 1864, was the first battle of Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Both armies suffered heavy casualties, a harbinger of a bloody war of attrition by...
(May 5–6, 1864) - Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse (May 8–21, 1864)
- Battle of North AnnaBattle of North AnnaThe Battle of North Anna was fought May 23–26, 1864, as part of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign against Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. It consisted of a series of small actions near the North Anna River in central Virginia, rather than a...
(May 23–26, 1864) - Battle of Haw's ShopBattle of Haw's ShopThe Battle of Haw's Shop or Enon Church was fought on May 28, 1864, in Hanover County, Virginia, as part of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign against Confederate Gen. Robert E...
(May 28, 1864) - Battle of Cold HarborBattle of Cold HarborThe Battle of Cold Harbor was fought from May 31 to June 12, 1864 . It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign during the American Civil War, and is remembered as one of American history's bloodiest, most lopsided battles...
(Jun 1-3, 1864) - Battle of Trevilian StationBattle of Trevilian StationThe Battle of Trevilian Station was fought on June 11–12, 1864, in Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign against Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. Union cavalry under Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan fought against Confederate cavalry under Maj. Gens...
(Jun 11-12, 1864) - Siege of PetersburgSiege of PetersburgThe Richmond–Petersburg Campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War...
(Jun, 1864 - Jan, 1865) - Battle of Vaughan RoadBattle of Vaughan RoadThe Battle of Vaughan Road, also spelled "Vaughn", was an American Civil War engagement between Confederate States Army and Union Army cavalry forces protecting the flank of the main Union attack on Confederate positions on the western end of the Confederate line on October 1, 1864 during the...
(Oct 1, 1864) - Carolinas CampaignCarolinas CampaignThe Carolinas Campaign was the final campaign in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. In January 1865, Union Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman advanced north from Savannah, Georgia, through the Carolinas, with the intention of linking up with Union forces in Virginia. The defeat of ...
(Feb-Apr, 1865) - Battle of BentonvilleBattle of BentonvilleAt 3 p.m., Confederate infantry from the Army of Tennessee launched an attack and drove the Union left flank back in confusion, nearly capturing Carlin in the process and overrunning the XIV Corps field hospital. Confederates under Maj. Gen. D.H. Hill filled the vacuum left by the retreating...
(19-21 Mar 1865)
See also
- 6th Regiment South Carolina Cavalry6th Regiment South Carolina CavalryThe 6th South Carolina Cavalry Regiment was a regiment of cavalry in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War...
- Cheraw, South Carolina#The Civil War
- South Carolina in the American Civil War
- South Carolina Civil War Confederate UnitsSouth Carolina Civil War Confederate Units- Infantry :* 1st Infantry, 6 months, 1861* 1st Infantry* 1st Infantry* 1st Infantry * 1st Rifles* 2nd Infantry * 3rd Infantry* 4th Infantry* 5th Infantry* 6th Infantry...